


Come Back to Me

by quilsandwands



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Amnesia AU, Angst, F/M, Guilt, Identity Reveal, Longing, Memory Gain, Memory Loss, Not Season/Series 02 Compliant, Secret Crush, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, i haven't seen season 2 yet, mainly snark, so if something happens there that conflicts with this please don't be angry, some violence, they're like 18
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-03-28 00:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13892166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quilsandwands/pseuds/quilsandwands
Summary: My fault. All my fault. The thought kept rotating and fumbling around in his head as he ran across the rooftops of Paris, making a beeline to the hospital. He dropped down as the ambulance screeched to a halt and the medics jumped out, pulling a stretcher from the back. Chat stared helplessly as he watched it disappear into the hospital, a longing in his eyes.************************************An unfortunate accident with horrible timing causes Chat to learn that Marinette is Ladybug.Not only does he learn her identity, Marinette also ends up with amnesia, losing the past three years.Adrien must work as both himself and Chat to help Marinette gain all her memories back while gaining some new insights about himself along the way.After all, learning your love interest and your best friend are the same person tends to become problematic when neither side remembers caring about you.





	1. Crumpled

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this fic for the past 2 years and I'm just now getting back to it. 
> 
> Life man.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it! I've read it about 1000 times, so if you notice something's off, please let me know so I can fix it (minus the plot being thrown away completely, I already have 12 chapters written).

_My fault. All my fault._ The thought kept rotating and fumbling around in his head as he ran across the rooftops of Paris, making a beeline to the hospital. He dropped down right when the ambulance schreeched to a halt and the medics jumped out, pulling a stretcher from the back. Chat stared helplessly as he watched it disappear into the hospital, a longing in his eyes.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around, locking eyes with one of the police officers from the scene. “Chat Noir, we need a statement,” he said, sounding distressed.

Chat’s ears drooped and he nodded, turning around to face the man. “What do you need?”

The officer opened a notepad and grabbed a pen. “First off where’s Ladybug?”

“She used her Lucky Charm, she was about to transform so she left for obvious reasons.”

“Right,” the officer made a quick note, not even thinking to question the statement. “Now, what happened?”

“So much happened so quickly,” He stated crossing his arms. He then squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s my fault. This is all my fault,” Chat said defeated, hanging his head and curling in on himself.

The officer gently guided Chat over to the nearest bench and sat down. “Take your time. We have all day.” Chat shot him a look. “Well, we have until your time runs out.”

Chat sighed, piecing what had transpired back together in his mind.

~~~

After three, almost four years of fighting by Ladybugs side, the akuma was almost too routine. Almost too easy. Why didn’t he see it earlier? He could have saved her. Then everything would have been back to normal.

It was the end. They broke the cursed object. Ladybug was cleansing the butterfly. Chat was stretching out his back from a nasty run-in with a traffic light. He wasn’t paying any attention.

_My fault._

He didn’t notice how the still possessed akuma grabbed their staff. He didn’t notice how they stood up to get one more blow in. He didn’t notice that she didn’t notice either. Ladybug was focused on her cleansing light. The timing was perfect. The akuma swung their staff and it connected with the side of Ladybug’s head with a horrifying crunch, right as the light passed Ladybug and fully purified the victim.

She dropped like a rock.

Chat didn’t think as he quickly scooped her up and bounded to the nearest building, before anyone had time to register what happened, and out of sight. He gently laid her down, noting her shallow breathing. He quickly checked her pulse and found it to be elevated, more so than just from the fight earlier. 

_All my fault._

Chat also failed to notice she was on her last dot. Before he could think of a plan to get Ladybug the help she needed she suddenly transformed and a small red figure flew out of her earrings.

“Chat! You have to get her to a hospital!” The tiny creature said. Chat started at the panic he saw on her face. Not wanting to look down at the still figure, not wanting to betray her trust.

“You’re-“

“Yes, I’m Ladybug’s kwami. Tikki. Hi. She needs to get to a hospital NOW.”

“But… her civilian self… she doesn’t want-“

He suddenly felt very small at the look he received from the tiny god. “That is not important. Marinette is in serious trouble and she needs your help.”

Chat jerked back, his eyes snapping down at the figure. He took in pink jeans, a matching floral top, and grey jacket. His eyes snapped up to the unconscious face of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

His stomach dropped even lower.

It would be someone he knew.

It would be someone he cared about.

His bad luck would obviously make sure of that.

_Completely my fault._

“ _Chat!_ ” Tikki yelled, breaking him out of his own head.

“Right. Okay.” He said gently scooping her up and jumping down into an abandoned alley. Thankful nobody was paying attention, he zipped around the corner, back towards the scene where an ambulance was, tending to the victim. 

“We have a problem here!” He called to the group of rescue workers. They snapped their head up in unison. Confusion on their face when they first saw Chat running towards them, and then a startled look when they saw the comatose figure in his arms.

“What happened to her?”

“She-“ Chat paused, realizing he didn’t think anything trough. He couldn’t just tell them she was Ladybug.

“Chat?” A worker asked when he didn’t finish.

“She got caught up in the action right at the end. Hit her head and went down. She was immediately knocked out.”

This caused the medics to work overtime, checking her vitals and getting oxygen on her.

“How long?”

“A few minutes.”

“Do you know her name?”

“Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“We’ll be sure someone contacts her family. Follow us to the hospital. I think the police will want to talk to you.”

Chat nodded as he watched her get loaded into the back of the ambulance.

~~~

Chat came back to the present. His mind focused and he quickly came up with a story that would be believable to anyone that knew Marinette.

“It was at the end of the attack. She was there by herself. Her other friend, the one that runs the Ladyblog, apparently couldn’t make it to the fight, so she went in her stead. She must have missed what eventually hit her head and caused this injury,” Chat hung his head, guilt ripping through his body.

The officer nodded, closing his notebook. “I think I have everything,” He said standing up. The officer looked down on the still sullen Chat. “Chat, it’s not your fault. You can’t be everywhere at once.”

 _If only you knew._ He thought with grim humor. Chat sighed, standing. “I know. I’m going to see if there’s any news.”

Chat turned to go, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder again. “Really, Chat. Don’t beat yourself up. You can’t win them all.”

Chat nodded, walking away after the officer released his shoulder. Thankfully because of his standing as Chat, the staff was more than willing to help him find Marinette and a kind nurse lead him to a room. Thanking her, he poked his head in.

He noticed a large bandage on her head, a slight pink tinge to the outer corners of the bottom. Her eyes were closed, but he noticed her breathing and heart rate seemed to be back to normal, which put him slightly at ease.

“Chat Noir?” a small voice said inside. His eyes jerked to the chair next to Marinette’s bed and locked eyes with her mother. “Chat Noir what are you doing here?”

Chat swallowed down his nerves and hesitantly walked in. “I brought your daughter to the ambulance when I found her. I wanted to check up, see how she’s doing.”

Sabine sighed, wiping her eyes and stroked her thumb over the back of Marinette’s hand. “She has some brain activity, but they’re guessing some pretty bad damage. We won’t know the extent until she wakes up.”

“Oh.”

A silence stretched between them. Not horribly awkward, but not comfortable.

“I’m sorry,” Chat whispered, looking down at his boots.

“It’s not your fault dear.”

“It is. I didn’t see her. I didn’t see the danger the akuma posed to her. I thought the area was clear. I would have made her leave had I known-“ He choked up with emotion, with guilt. It ate him, consumed him, from the inside.

 _All my fault._

He suddenly felt a presence next to him. He looked down at Sabine, noting her sad smile. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter.” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

At first, Chat was frozen, unsure of what to do. But as the hug got tighter, he allowed his arms to wrap around Sabine and bury his face into her shoulder. He couldn’t hold back the tears that had been building up behind the wall he built, waiting for their moment to strike.

They stayed like that for a while, Chat continually whispering “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” and Sabine gently patting his back, silently crying with him as she cooed gentle words of love and forgiveness.


	2. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien cringed slightly in embarrassment at getting caught and nodded. “Hello, Mr. Dupain.” He stood awkwardly at the door, unsure if he was welcome or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hasn't been a week, but I thought this second chapter may help the story along a bit. Things really get interesting in the third chapter, so bear with me, please!

It wasn’t long after that Chat received a warning beep that his time was running out. He stood from the chair and said his goodbyes to Sabine before quickly made his way out of the hospital, finding a secluded spot to transform. He felt as the leather was whisked from his body before dropping to his knees.

“C’mon kid,” Plagg said gently.

“Plagg. I can’t believe it’s her. I can’t believe I allowed that to happen to someone as sweet and kind and amazing as her.”

“Adrien,” Plagg rested on his charge's shoulder, uncharacteristically gentle. “Let’s go back to the hospital.”

“Yea, let’s go, Adrien,” a high pitched voice said from behind him.

Adrien startled forward and quickly jumped up. He spun around, suddenly face to face with Tikki, noting the small smile that graced her face. “Tikki?”

“Sorry. I needed to hitch a ride, and I didn’t want the doctors to see me as they worked on Mari,” The tiny god did what she could to look embarrassed.

A sigh escaped his mouth as he opened his shirt. “Well, let’s go.” Adrien watched as Plagg floated up to Tikki giving her a hug, guiding her into his usual hiding spot in the shirt. When the kwamis settled, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and made his way back towards the hospital. He noticed a figure sitting by the door engrossed in their phone. As he neared, he recognized it as the same officer he spoke to as Chat. Adrien reminded himself that, while Chat may have spoken and knows the officer, Adrien does not. He made sure he didn’t look at the officer as he walked by, in case he ruined his composure.

He was able to glide on by without so much as a glance his way. Once inside the hospital, Adrien breathed a sigh of relief and, without thinking, he made a beeline for her room and poked his head in, just as he had done earlier. Her father had now joined her mother. They sat on either side of the bed, worry lined their faces. Adrien felt like an intruder in this and slowly started to back out.

“Adrien?” Tom said, noticing the movement. 

Adrien cringed slightly in embarrassment at getting caught and nodded. “Hello, Mr. Dupain.” He stood awkwardly at the door, unsure if he was welcome or not.

Tom motioned Adrien over, patting the seat next to him. Adrien awkwardly made his way over and rigidly sat on the seat. “I’m glad you’re here,” Tom pat Adrien’s shoulder. “She’d be happy to know you were here. How’d you find out though?”

Adrien started for a moment. His pause in thought was almost too long to be believable but he hoped nobody would notice. “I was out and about and I saw Chat handing Marinette over to the paramedics. Chat told me to go home but,” He paused glancing over at Marinette’s sleeping form, “I couldn’t not come.”

Tom smiled kindly, putting a hand on Adrien’s shoulder “I’m glad to know she has a fantastic and caring support group.”

Adrien felt a lump grow in his throat. “Is there any news?” He heard his own voice, thick with emotion. Tom told him the same thing Sabine told Chat. Adrien nodded along as though it was the first time he had heard it.

“She’s shown some signs of response,” Tom continued, catching Adrien’s attention.

“What?”

Tom nodded, reaching over and gently brushing her cheek. Marinette’s head moved in response. “We just don’t know if it’s voluntary or an automatic response. Time will tell.”

Adrien sat in silence, trying to make himself as small as possible, and not in the way. He glanced over to Sabine, she was still holding on to her daughter's hand, her head on the mattress asleep. A thought passed through his head and he turned towards Tom.

“Has anyone contacted Alya?”

Tom ran his hand over his face. “Not that I know of.”

Adrien pulled his phone out. “I’ll do it. Don’t worry yourself.” 

“Thank you.”

Adrien was grateful to have an excuse to step out of the room, only to once more be filled with dread as he stared at the contact information for Alya. Many situations ran through his mind, and all of them ending badly for him. 

_Might as well get this over with._

He hit the call button before he could chicken out and placed the phone at his ear. A few rings went by, before he heard the line pick up.

“Sup, Adrien? What brings you to my humble abode of phone calls?” Alya answered, bubbly and bright. It brought about another round of guilt, ripping through Adrien.

“Alya,” he said, the emotion overtaking his voice once more.

Adrien could almost hear Alya’s movement still on the other end. “Adrien, what’s wrong?”

“Marinette,” he started, his voice wavering. “Marinette is in the hospital.”

There was a beat of silence and then, “I’ll be right there.” And the line went dead.

Adrien stood outside the room, deciding to wait for Alya to explain everything, rather than let that fall on the Duapin-Chengs one more time.

Not fifteen minutes had passed than when Alya was hurriedly walking down the hallway towards Adrien. He stood up straight as she neared him, fear in her eyes. “What happened? Is she okay? Is she-“

Adrien placed his hands on her shoulders and told her the story he fabricated. He kept his voice low as he went into her condition, not wanting Tom and Sabine to hear and remind them of their daughters' prognosis. He dropped his hands from Alya’s shoulders and leaned back against the wall. “I wish I could have done something Alya. I was right around the corner-”

Alya leaned against the wall next to him. “What could you have done? She chose to go there alone. And I know I can say this all I want, and you’re probably still going to think it’s your fault, that’s just who you are. But I know she’s going to say the same thing to you when she wakes up.”

“If-“

“ _When_ Adrien. _When_ ,” Alya sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Where would you be right now if you didn’t have the three of us to guide you?”

Adrien laughed without humor. “Who knows. I’d still be friends with Cholé?”

“Ew, don’t say such horrible things,” Alya joked back. “Did someone call Nino?”

Adrien shook his head.

Alya dug her phone out of her purse. “I’ll do it. It looked like just telling me took a lot out of you.” Adrien nodded as Alya quickly got ahold of Nino and briefly explained what happened.

“He’ll be here in about half an hour,” Alya stated, slipping her phone back into her purse. “Now I’m going to sit with my best friend. Are you coming?”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Alya walked past him, pausing right before she walked in. “I’m serious Agreste. Stop beating yourself up so much.” She gave him a friendly tap with her fist on his shoulder and continued into the room.

When he was alone in the hallway, he buried his head in his hands, unable to stop the silent flow of tears down his face for the second time that day, suddenly feeling completely alone and abandoned. Something he hasn't felt in almost three years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter. Probably could have meshed it with the first or even taken it out completely. Oh well. Knowing me I'll probably post chapter 3 in a day or two because I can't stand sitting on finished chapters, especially finished chapters that help develop the plot.
> 
> Harass me on tumblr: clockworkprinceherondale.tumblr.com


	3. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a moment he forgot she received a blow to the head.
> 
> For a moment he forgot that there was going to be some brain injury.
> 
> For a moment he forgot everything that the doctors warned him about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry.

Adrien found himself in the hospital three days later.

Same time.

Same chair.

Same location.

The nurses started to recognize him as he walked in, greeting them with sad smiles and new reports on Marinette. The reports were usually the same. She responded to this or made a noise of some sort, but Adrien clung on to anything that was a good sign. 

He sat alone in the room, always making sure that someone was there when her parents couldn’t be. Grateful that his father left Paris the day of the attack so he wouldn’t have to worry about pleasing him. He leaned his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on the metal barrier on the bed.

“Mari, please,” he hoarsely whispered. “You need to come back. Not just for your parents. For Alya. For Nino. For Paris. For-“ he paused, dryly swallowing before continuing on. “For me.”

He sighed heavily when the monitors continued to beep in a steady rhythm. He heard some rustling in his bag by his feet. Reaching down and unzipping the bag some, two kwami heads poked out and stared at him with big eyes. He gave them a quizzical look.

“Do you have any cookies?” Tikki asked, her eyes widening. Adrien gave her a small smile. Him having one kwami to worry about was enough of a chore. Having two was basically a full-time job. Thankfully, Tikki was pretty independent and didn’t cause problems or wine as much as Plagg did. 

“I’ll go to the vending machine and grab some for you.”

“Thank you. I’ll take anything that’s a cookie. I’m not picky unlike _some_ gods I know,” She said shooting a pointed look at Plagg.

Plagg crossed his arms and turned his nose up in the air. “Five-thousand years and you still can’t appreciate the wonderful world of cheese.”

“Stay quiet you two. I’ll be right back,” Adrien successfully hushed them and zipped his bag back up.

Adrien returned quickly carrying a small bag of cookies, of which he dropped into his bag. He heard a small “Thank you” before he closed it back up and turned back to Marinette. Her eyes were still closed and her breathing still as regular as it had been for the past three days. He felt his phone vibrate and he fished it out of his pocket.

 

**[Alya]**  
>Update?

**[Me]**  
>Same old. She’s been making noises though. So that’s a good thing right?

**[Alya]**  
>I think so. I’ll do some research and double check.

Adrien watched his screen go black as he locked it. Knowing Alya, she could spend a while doing said research.

_Cough._

Adrien’s head snapped up at the sound. He saw Marinette’s face grimace like she was in pain, and cough again.

“Mari?” He asked quietly, gently touching the back of her hand.

“Maman?” She asked, slowly opening her eyes. She slowly looked around the room, befuddlement extremely apparent on her expressive features. 

Adrien quickly ran for the open door, making eye contact with the nurse behind the desk. She didn’t need to ask why he was there, just saying. “I’ll go get the doctor.” Her eyes lighting up with excitement as she ran down the hall.

Adrien made his way back to his seat. “Marinette,” He said again, louder this time. She snapped her head to the side and looked at him.

Rather than a look of recognition, he received one of confusion. “Where are my parents?” She asked wearily.

“They’re at the bakery, but they’ll be here as soon as we tell them you’re awake,” Adrien was practically bouncing up and down in his seat. “I’m so happy, Mari. Just so happy.” 

Adrien leaned towards her, hand reaching out to grasp hers.

Marinette pulled her hand away, holding both of them to her chest. “What are you doing?”

Adrien quickly retracted his hand. “Sorry, I guess that would be a little weird wouldn’t it?” He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Marinette gave him another confused look.

“Mari, you know why you’re here right?” He asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder as he had for so many years, so many times.

For a moment he forgot she received a blow to the head.

For a moment he forgot that there was going to be some brain injury.

For a moment he forgot everything that the doctors warned him about.

She leaned away from him, not letting him touch her at all. She narrowed her eyes, staring him down as she delivered the blow that he never thought would come out of her mouth.

That he thought he may never recover from.

“ _I don’t know you._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun....  
>  **Dun...**  
>  ** _DUUUUUUNNNNNNN_**
> 
> See you in a week or so. :)
> 
> Harass me on tumblr: clockworkprinceherondale.tumblr.com
> 
> (PS- starting now, I want to make a disclaimer that I've done a little bit of research on amnesia, but I am by no means an expert and I'm 100% sure I'm not accurate on how it works at all, but I've done a bit of research, so hopefully it won't be HORRIBLE.)


	4. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. He was still frozen in place. He saw her eyes dilate, right before they were ripped away from him. Not only that, but he saw something that gave him some type of hope to grasp onto. It was just a twinge, but it was there.
> 
> Recognition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo 2500 words coming up. 
> 
> Not even kinda sorry.
> 
> I am sorry I'm a bit late on this update, work crap happened.

Adrien stared wide-eyed at Marinette. He couldn’t get a breath in. It felt as if she had round-house kicked him in the chest, knocking the wind right out of him. She locked eyes with him and he searched them. Hoping to find even the barest hint of something that would tell him she recognized _something_.

Confusion.

Apprehension.

Those were the most prevalent, but the biggest thing that struck him was something he didn’t see.

Fear.

There was no fear in her eyes. None at all. He saw the wheels in her head turn in thought as she stared at him more. She slowly leaned towards him. Adrien held his breath and remained still, too afraid to make any sudden movements that may scare her. She opened her mouth- as if she was about to vocalize something-

-and then the doctor walked in. “Ms. Dupain-Cheng! We’re so happy you’re awake!”

Marinette ripped her eyes away from Adrien to look up at the doctor. “Where are my parents?” She asked calmly, eyeing him.

Adrien didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. He was still frozen in place. He saw her eyes dilate, right before they were ripped away from him. Not only that, but he saw something that gave him some type of hope to grasp onto. It was just a twinge, but it was there.

Recognition.

~~~

Adrien left the room as to not intrude once her parents got there. He quickly got out of the way as her mother launched herself onto her daughter, both crying, Tom following quickly behind. Slinking out of the door, he leaned against the wall and slid down it, sitting on the ground with his bag at his side. He suddenly felt a small pressure on his arm and he looked down, noticing Plagg’s face peeking out from the crack of the bag. When they locked eyes, Plagg gave Adrien a sympathetic pat before retreating back, worried that he would be noticed in the busy wing.

Looking for someone to talk too, Adrien decided to inform Alya.

**[Me]**  
>Alya, Mari’s awake.

**[Alya]**  
>SHE IS? I’M ALMOST THERE. HOW IS SHE?

**[Me]**  
>Alya, she didn’t remember me.

There was a long gap of radio silence from Alya at that point. He wasn’t sure what was happening. _Maybe she didn’t notice her phone going off? Or she just doesn’t know how to respond_.

**[Alya]**  
>You mean like she was confused or something?

Adrien laughed without humor.

**[Me]**  
>If only. She was confused. But she had no recollection of me. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Rein.

**[Alya]**  
>I’m coming up the elevator, hold on.

Adrien set his phone down on his lap and rested his head back against the wall. He stared at the ceiling, thousands of thoughts going through his mind.

_If she didn’t remember me, would she remember Chat? Would she remember Alya? Or Ladybug?_ Adrien’s eyes went wide at the thought. _What if she doesn’t remember she’s Ladybug? How is that supposed to work? I can’t just go ‘Hi, so here’s your kwami back, btw you’re half of Paris’ superhero duo and basically we can’t survive without you.’ That would never go over well. What if-_

“Earth to Adrien,” a voice said from above. A hand waved in front of his face before pausing and the fingers snapping. He jumped, his eyes trained on Alya, giving her a sheepish grin. 

“Sorry, zoned out for a second.”

Alya scoffed as she sat next to him. “Tell me what happened.”

So he did. The conversation that they had, the look of confusion in her eyes, her apprehensiveness to him in general. Everything.

“Hmm,” Alya mused. “Well, it could be-“

Suddenly the door swung open and the doctor stepped out, looking down at them. _This man is asking for it if he doesn’t stop interrupting what people are about to say to me_.

“You’re Ms. Dupain-Chengs friends yes?”

They nodded in the affirmative.

“Good, come in, and tell as many people as she knows to come, I want to get as many familiar faces in front of her as I can.” He stepped aside, allowing them to walk in.

Adrien stalled at the door, unsure of what to do as Alya walked ahead of him, making a bee line for Marinette’s bed. “Girl we were so worried about you,” she was saying before she choked on her words and froze in place. The two girls stared at each other for a short time. “Marinette you know who I am right?”

“Alya?” She whispered.

Alya nodded slowly.

“You were the one that sat next to me yesterday.”

Alya’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I didn’t see you yesterday.”

“Yea. During the first day of classes.”

“Marinette,” The doctor stepped forward around Adrien. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen,” She stated simply. Everyone in the room became extremely quiet as they stared at her. “What?”

Sabine gently stroked her bangs away from her face, capturing her attention. “Honey, you’re eighteen.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” The doctor asking her, his arms crossed.

“There was that attack from the giant stone person. And the two- uh,” she paused for a moment swallowing in hesitation. “Uh- Ladybug and Chat Noir? I think? They tried to help.”

“Marinette that was three years ago.”

Adrien slowly backed out of the room, making his way towards the exit.

“Adrien what are you doing?” Tikki’s voice came from his bag.

“I’m going to transform into Chat. Maybe that will help kick-start her memory.”

“Do you,” the tiny red god paused. “D-do you think that she’ll remember she’s Ladybug?”

“I hope.”

~~~

Chat made his way into the hospital, waving at the workers and civilians he passed, not bothering to stop and ask where Marinette was. When he got to her room, he paused, not sure if this was a good idea anymore. 

_Don’t be stupid. Just walk in. They can always tell you to leave._

Chat squared his shoulders and poked his head in, knocking lightly on the door. He looked around the room to see that it was only Sabine, Tom, and Alya that remained in the room. They all looked startled to see him standing there.

_Remember, you don’t know what happened. You are Chat. You don’t know that she woke up_.

“Hello,” He said quietly. “I just wanted to check up on Marinette.” He paused awkwardly, looking at the empty spot in the room where her bed should have been. “Um-“

Sabine launched herself off her chair and wrapped Chat in a hug. “She’s awake Chat Noir.”

“She is?” He asked, trying to put as much surprise in his voice as he could muster without it sounding fake. “How is she?”

The room got very quiet and still. Sabine took a step back and wiped at her eyes. Remembering that he didn’t know what was going on, he shot a questioning look to Alya.   
“She has some pretty bad amnesia,” Alya said quietly.

“Oh. How bad?”

“She’s lost three years. We’re trying to figure out exactly how much of those three years are lost. It could be everything. Or she could have some random memories. They took her to get an MRI and EEG. Check her brain activity,” Alya fiddled with her phone. Chat had no illusions that she probably spent most of her time doing research on memory loss.

“Please take a seat. Maybe you’ll trigger something in her memory.”

He nodded and sat down next to Alya, fiddling with his fingers as he waited in the pregnant silence.

Fifteen minutes later, Marinette was wheeled back, her eyes finding and not leaving her parents at all. Once the orderly left, Sabine placed her hand on her daughter's arm. “Marinette someone is here to see you,” she said quietly, pointing to Chat on the other side of the bed.

She turned her head and locked eyes with Chat. He stared at them, looking deep in, hoping beyond hope that he sees something. He saw a flicker of recognition in her eye, and his shoulders relaxed.

“Chat Noir?” She asked in an even tone. “What are you doing here?”

“Just here to check up on you _Prr_ -incess,” he grinned

She rolled her eyes at the pun, relaxing him even further than before. _She's still acting the same. As both LB and herself with me. Maybe there’s a chance, after all_.

“He’s the one that got you to the ambulance dear,” Tom said.

“Oh,” she said quietly glancing at him. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Chat inclined his head, wanting to lean across the small space and wrap her in his arms, be damned of who was in the room. Right then the doctor poked his head in and looked at her parents. 

“Could I speak to you two for a moment?”

Sabine and Tom nodded. They both stood up and after kissing Marinette on her head, followed the doctor to the hall. Alya sighed and stood up fishing her phone out of her pocket. “I need to call Nino.”

“Nino?” Marinette asked.

“You remember him right?”

“Of course I do. We’ve been in the same class for years. He’s a good friend.”

Alya smirked at that. “I know. And he’s been worried sick. I’m going to let him know that you’re awake,” she walked to the corner of the room and dialed, placing the phone to her ear.

Chat sat there uncomfortable for a moment before looking at Marinette. His eyes locked with hers. Extremely fierce, and Chat would be lying to himself if he didn’t find them a little intimidating.

“Well, I think I should-“

“Will you come here later to night when everyone has left?”

Chat paused, his hands on his knees, preparing to push up and out of the chair. He shot her a quizzical look. “Why?”

“I need to talk to you, and not with all these people around.”

“Ok? I can be here around 10 pm?”

“I’ll see you then.”

Chat was still giving her an odd look when Alya got off the phone. “Nino is coming over. He’ll be happy to see you awake Mari,” she said smiling.

“I’ll be happy to see him. I guess?” She scratched her head. “It’s so weird not really having any memories of the past three years.”

“I thought you were never going to believe us until we showed you a paper with the date and turned the news on.”

Marinette giggled. “The weirdest thing is that I don’t remember you all that well, but I get a rush of fondness when I look at you or hear your name. I have no memories to connect me to these feelings though.”

“I have plenty of videos of us doing crazy things, so don’t worry.”

The girls smiled at each other and Chat suddenly felt like he was intruding. “Well, I should get going.” He pushed himself out of the chair, shooting a slight grin towards the girls. 

“I hope you get better Marinette.”

“Thank you.” 

Once Chat made it outside he vaulted towards the little alcove on a nearby roof where he stashed his bag. Once he transformed back, he opened his bag and Tikki came zooming out.

“What happened?”

“She remembers me. Well, me as Chat anyways,” Adrien said, surprised by how much that stung.

“Really?”

Adrien nodded. “She wants me to come visit her tonight when people aren’t all around her.”

“What for?” Plagg asked around a mouth full of cheese.

Adrien shrugged, opening his bag wider for both kwami’s to nestle into. “We have time before we have to go. We can go back to my place until then.”

~~~

A few hours later found Chat running across the roof tops of Paris in the darkness, heading towards the hospital once more. This time he had someone accompanying him.

“Tikki, you could have hidden in my hair, or collar,” Chat sighed as he paused on the roof of the hospital. It was after visiting hours and he had to take a moment to map out where Marinette’s room was so he could use the window.

“I needed to get out and stretch,” she chided, landing on his shoulder.

“Stretch what? All two inches of you?” Chat teased, gaining a small slap to his cheek in response. _Glad to know it’s just part of LB’s charm_. He thought to himself. Chat figured out which window would belong to Marinette and he began scaling down the side of the building. He got to the window he thought was hers and he peeked inside, just to be sure.

He saw Marinette sitting up in her bed, a sketch pad in hand. She would look at the clock every few seconds, checking the time. Chat hooked a claw under the part of the window closest to him and was grateful it wasn’t locked. He swung it open and clamored up into the room, falling face first onto the ground.

He heard laughter come from the bed as he righted himself and rubbed the sore spot on his face. He glanced up at Marinette, throwing her a pout. Her eyes were closed in laughter and he sadly made his way over to her, noting that Tikki was able to fly under her bed without being noticed.

“What exactly did my _Purr_ -incess want at this hour? It couldn’t be she just desired the loving attention of _meow_.”

“Those were terrible.”

Chat fake gasped, throwing his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded.”

Marinette snorted. “You’ll live,” She suddenly got very quiet, staring down at her hands on her sketch pad. “So, why I asked you here.” Chat stayed quiet, allowing her to gather her thoughts. “You know how I said to Alya that I get a feeling of fondness when I look at her, even though I don’t have memories to go with it?”

Chat nodded.

“I get the same thing when I look at you. But it’s different.” She looked at him before continuing on. “It’s more, I feel safe looking at you. I feel like I can completely trust you. I can count on you for anything.”

Chat cocked his head to the side.

Marinette sighed again. “They told me the story of how I got here. Why I’ve apparently lost so many memories.” She looked up again, her blue eyes looking like liquid fire. “But their story doesn’t really add up.”

Chat couldn’t really find words, so he continued on with his confused look.

“I think you know something about me, that I’ve never told anyone. And I do remember this.”

“Princess, I don’t do well with cryptic talk,” Chat said around his grin.

“You’re going to make me say this aren’t you?”

Chats head jerked back for a moment, “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Marinette sighed and reached for one of her earrings, gently touching it, almost like a safety blanket. Something to reassure her of what she was about to say next.

“You know I’m Ladybug, don’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, let me explain!
> 
> Marinette and Alya met the first day of classes, but not Adrien because he got dragged back by his father. BUT that same day Ladybug and Chat Noir met for the first time and fought together (this is all according to part 1 of Origins).
> 
> She didn't meet Adrien until the next day, and that is the day from then on that she is missing from her memories. 
> 
> So those that guessed she wouldn't remember Alya, sorry.
> 
> Harass me on tumblr: clockworkprinceherondale.tumblr.com


	5. Chat's Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Marinette, can I ask a favor of you?”
> 
> “Hmm?”
> 
> “Let Adrien visit. Get to know him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how late this is. Work and school life will be the death of me. I haven't even worked on this since I first posted it, but it's good I have 12 (13?) chapters already pre-written.
> 
> I'm also not a super fan of this chapter because I read through it again and re-wrote a few parts, just hoping it makes sense. I think I wrote this at 3 am or something.
> 
> Enjoy!

Chat’s ears flattened against his head and his tail swished uneasily. He held his gaze with Marinette. She looked at him calmly, just like she knew the answer but wanted to see if he would lie to her. He nodded in affirmation, grimacing slightly at her sigh.

“Well that didn’t last long,” she said, rubbing her hands together.

“Marinette it’s been almost four years,” Chat responded, unable to help himself.

Marinette rolled her eyes, shooting him a small smile. “Well, it had to happen eventually. Now, where is Tikki?”

At the sound of her name, Tikki flew out from under the bed and slammed, as hard as a creature her size could slam into anything, into Marinette’s chest. The hug lasted for a moment before Tikki started bouncing around her room and flying around her head, her talking going thousands of miles a minute, telling her how worried she was and if she was going to remember Tikki or if Chat was going to have to help her remember.

“Tikki,” Marinette was finally able to get a word in when the god took a breath. “I’m fine-“ Marinette paused, pursing her lips. “-ish.” Tikki settled in at Marinette’s shoulder, nuzzling her head into her charges neck.

Marinette sighed again looking up at Chat. “So do I get to know your civilian self now?”

On a normal day, Chat would have jumped at the opportunity to share his identity with Ladybug. It’s all he’s wanted to do for the past four years. However, Chat hesitated. It was still fresh in his mind how Marinette reacted to Adrien. Complete neutrality. Even with that odd spark of recognition, he still felt nervous about telling her.

_What if she has a problem with me being Chat? She didn’t exactly give me a warm welcome when she woke up._

Marinette closed her sketchbook and scratched Tikki’s head as she waited, knowing the request she just asked of him.

“No,” Chat said, crossing his arms, ears pinning to his head again.

“Why? You know mine,” Marinette asked.

“Because you need to heal and get back to normal before you have another bomb thrown on your head,” Chat blinked for a moment. “I mean that figuratively, but let’s not have that literal bomb get thrown on your head.”

Marinette snorted a laugh, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “Bombs aside, do I know you without the mask?”

“Yes.”

“Before or after the injury?” Marinette continued after she noticed confusion color Chat's face. "A lot of people that I know came to visit me today, so, if I know you after my injury, then that means you probably came by today. Or you're one of the many doctors and nurses that have been taking care of me."

Chat grinned at her thought process. “Yes.”

Marinette deadpanned. “That’s not an answer.”

“Yes, it is,” Chat’s grin widened, his head tilting to the side. “Why would I say which it is when I could just say ‘yes’ and have more fun with it while keeping you guessing?”

Marinette smirked at him rolling her eyes again. “It seems my spotty memory serves me well.”

“How do you mean?”

“From what I can remember, you were a complete goofball, you crack bad jokes,” Marinette ignored Chat mock gasping, his hand coming to his chest in horror, “were a bit of a flirt, reckless, and didn’t listen well.”

“Now hold on-“

“However, those spotty memories also consist of you being kind and thoughtful, and caring.”

“Huh,” Chat leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. “That sounds more like it.”

“You also have an ego the size of France.”

“Well, you’re not wrong there.”

“Chat,” Marinette looked down at her hands. “Will I get to know who you are?”

A nod.

“But only after I get all my memories back?”

Another nod.

Marinette pursed her lips in thought. “My doctor said that there was nothing we could do to force the memories to come back, that they should come back on their own.”

“What are you thinking Bugaboo?”

“Well, I wonder if there are some places or things that I can do to bring them back. I don’t mean to force them, but if I was back home, with familiar things around me. Take a walk around the school, see the rest of my friends from there, work in the bakery, go around Paris as Ladybug and patrol,” she saw the shocked and confused look on Chat’s face. “Alya sent me to the Ladyblog and I did a bunch of reading up on what we’ve done in the past four years. Still, haven’t found HawkMoth have we?” She laughed humorlessly.

“No, we haven’t. But once you’re given the clear I’ll take you to our meeting spot and our regular patrol path, maybe it will help.”

Marinette nodded looking at the clock. “You should probably go, the nurse will be around to check everything and you should not be caught here after hours, even if you are one of the heroes of Paris.”

Chat nodded and stood up, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“No apologies. I share the blame as much as you do.”

He sighed and before he could chicken out, brought her towards him and placed a kiss on her forehead. “If you insist my Lady.”

He turned to go, opening the window and jumping up onto the sill. “Chat?” He paused turning around, eyebrow raised. “Will you come visit me when I get released?”

“Sure.”

“I live at-“

“I know where you live.”

It was Marinette’s turn to have the confused look. “How?”

“I’ll explain later,” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Marinette, can I ask a favor of you?”

“Hmm?”

“Let Adrien visit. Get to know him.”

Marinette's brow furrowed, "Adrien?"

"He's blond. Model for his father's company. Went to school with you," Chat rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to look her in the eye.

“Oh, was that the blond boy that was here when I woke up?” Chat nodded. She tilted her head to the side. “Why?”

“He’s a good friend of yours and is concerned about you.”

“Oh. That explains a lot.”

“Just-“ Chat paused, not sure how to continue talking about himself. “He was pretty upset when I ran into him when I came to visit you earlier today.”

“I believe you Chat.”

Chat nodded and turned to jump out of the window again.

“Wait.”

Chat paused once more half leaning out of the window. “When you said you know where I live, were you there as Chat or your regular self?”

Chat’s answer was to flash a grin as wide as his face and give an over the top wink her direction before jumping down to the street below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad that's over with!
> 
> The next chapter is kinda funny. At least I was laughing while writing it, so hopefully you all agree!
> 
> Harass me on tumblr: clockworkprinceherondale.tumblr.com
> 
> <3


	6. Clippings & Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few more seconds of quiet, she huffed in frustration and hopped off her bed and down to her main level, beginning to rifle through all her drawers in hopes of finding something, _anything_ , that would clue her to a memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a fun little thing I thought would be cute to help develop some of the memories coming back, and the friendship between Nino, Mari, and Alya.
> 
> Not super important, but also felt like it fit really well.

A few days later, Marinette was released from the hospital with instructions to take it easy and not force anything. She sat in her bedroom after continuously telling her parents that she would be fine by herself for a little while. Crossed legged on her bed she looked around the room. Hoping for some flicker of memory. She’d take anything at the rate she’s going now. After a few more seconds of quiet, she huffed in frustration and hopped off her bed and down to her main level, beginning to rifle through all her drawers in hopes of finding something, _anything_ , that would clue her to a memory.

She finally opened a drawer stuffed to the brim with magazine cutouts. She stared at them in confusion and looked at her corkboard. Nothing seemed to be missing from there, as best as she could tell that is. _So, what are these?_ She thought sitting on the ground and bringing them out one at a time. To her chagrin, the face of the blonde boy- _Adrien_ , her mind supplied- was on each cutout, some of them had sticky notes, others were written on them directly. She felt her face flush with warmth as she realized that she, pre-concussion, had a massive crush on Adrien. Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion a moment later.

_Why did I take these down though?_ Marinette smoothed out one crumpled up page of his face and tilted her head to the side. _Well, he is cute._ She thought, her eyes scanning the angles of his face. She startled at the sudden weight on her shoulder and looked over at Tiki. 

“Do you remember what happened with these?” Tiki asked softly.

Marinette gave a half shrug. “I have a vague sense, but it’s mainly from context clues. I had-“ She paused for a moment “-have?- a crush on Adrien.” She paused again earning a nod from Tiki before continuing on. “And I used to have these all up around my room, but something happened that caused me to take it down quickly and shove them in this drawer.” Tiki nodded again. “I just don’t have any idea why I would do that.” She sighed putting the clippings she held in her hands, in her lap and continued to rifle through the rest.

Tiki floated up to fly around Marinette’s head on her back. “Think about it for a small while, hopefully, you’ll figure it out.”

“Tiki, was I really this boy crazy?”

“No. Just with him. But after these got torn down, you soon outgrew the crazy crush phase and reverted to the normal teenage secret crush. You upgraded to a screen saver of Adrien, Alya, Nino, and yourself,” Tiki rolled over on her stomach and rested her head on her hands.

Lifting off the ground, Marinette quickly sat back into her computer chair and wheeled over to her computer, bringing it to life with a flick of her mouse. Her screensaver was what Tiki described. Adrien held the camera up with one hand and his other arm wrapped around Marinette, she held up a peace sign smiling at the camera with a slightly flushed expression. On her other side, Alya drapped her arm over her shoulders, shooting a wink at the camera. Nino was just to her other side, arms wrapped around Alyas waist, his head rested on her shoulder with a wistful smile on his face. Marinette raised an eyebrow, cocking her head to the side. “Huh.”

“What?” 

Marinette rubbed her hand all over face, now dealing with a minor headache. “I just remembered Alya and Nino are dating and they’re coming up on their-“ A throb in her head made her pause her sentence for a moment. “-one year anniversary right?”

Tiki twirled in the air in excitement. “Yes! Exactly.”

“Ugh,” Marinette pushed the palm of her hand into her forehead. “If I have to get a headache every time I remember something, I’m going to empty a bottle of painkillers before the week is up.” She rolled away and took a quick walk to her bathroom, sifting through the medicine cabinet before her hands landed on the painkillers she was looking for. Grabbing a few she came back out and popped them in her mouth, taking a big gulp of water from the glass her mother gave her. She went to close the drawer with her foot, and a memory flooded back.

“Well, the headache just intensified. Great.”

“Did you remember something else?”

“I remember shoving the magazine clippings in the drawer in a panic because Adrien was coming over, so we could play video games,” Marinette pursed her lips for a moment. “No, so we could practice for a tournament.”

“Two memories back to back! That’s great!”

“Yep. And now I’m going to lay down because I feel like my head is going to explode,” Marinette climbed up the small ladder and laid on her stomach on her bed, pushing her face into her pillow. She felt a small pressure on her pillow next to her head and a soft touch to her temple, suddenly feeling her headache elevate from a throb to a slight ache. Marinette lifted her head to look at Tiki. “Thank you.”

Tiki smiled in response and patted her cheek. “I’m going to hide. I think you have some company coming.” 

Tiki flew off to one of her many hiding spots right when Marinette’s mom called from downstairs. “Marinette, Alya and Nino are here! Are you up for a visit?” 

Marinette jumped down from her loft and opened her hatch. “Come on up guys!” She called down, holding the hatch open as her friends walked up to her room.

“Mari!” Alya said flinging herself at Marinette, pulling her into a death grip. “I’m so happy you’re out of the hospital now!”

“Hi Alya,” She looked over Alyas shoulder and saw Nino. “Hi, Nino.”

“Hi, Mari,” Nino’s smile spread across his face as he patiently waited for Alya to finish with her never-ending hug. Soon Alya loosened her grip and allowed Nino a chance to give his hug. The group moved over to the chaise lounge, Nino sitting backward on Marinette’s desk chair and Marinette and Alya taking over the lounge. 

“So I went over all the video footage and pictures that you sent me that we took over the past 3 years,” Marinette said, picking at her shirt hem. 

“And?”

“It was kind of the same thing. I had all of these fond feelings tied to the events but I have no actual memory of the pictures or videos. I’m hoping if I watch them enough times, something will happen.”

“Have you had any memories come back?” Nino asked.

“I have actually. Right before you guys got here I remembered that you two are dating,” Marinette reached her foot out and nudged the chair slightly. “And about to reach your first-year mark.”

Alya threw her hands up in the air. “Success!”

“Also,” Marinette held her finger up and stood up, walking over to her desk. “Why did you not tell me that I apparently had an obsessive crush on Adrien?” She opened the drawer, exposing the crumpled up magazine clippings.

Alya burst out into laughter while Nino just looked slightly confused. “What do you mean?” Nino rolled the chair over to peer into the drawer Marinette stood by before joining Alya in her hysterical laughing.

“Guys seriously!” Marinette called over their laughter, crossing her arms.

“Mari, you _just_ got out of the hospital. When have I had time to tell you about your obsessive crush on Adrien?” Alya stated through fits of giggles. “I figured I’d give you a little more time to settle and gain a few more memories back.”

“How bad was this?” Marinette pointed to the drawer, popping her hip to the side. 

“It was bad until we were about sixteen, and then you matured up and the obsessive part toned _way_ down and just developed into a little crush that you weren’t hung up over, which honestly, I’m happy you got to that point,” Alya had come down from her high by this point.

“That’s nice to hear- NINO STOP LAUGHING!” Marinette suddenly turned to Nino, of whom continued to laugh through the entire conversation between the two girls.

“WHAT?” Nino asked, wiping away the tears forming in his eyes. “YOU HAD A CRUSH ON _ADRIEN_?”

“Nino!” Alya and Marinette yelled at the same time, still unable to get the boy to calm down.

“HOW DID I NOT KNOW?”

“I don’t know, it was painfully obvious,” Alya said rolling her eyes at her boyfriend.

Nino continued to laugh as Marinette asked Alya to help her get rid of all the magazine clippings. Alya held a bag open while Marinette shoved the clippings in the bag and they checked the rest of the drawers for leftover clippings before they tied the full bag up and set it aside to be taken out with the rest of the trash.

By this point, Nino finally calmed down to speak normally. “When we were younger I was probably so wrapped up in the fact that I had a crush on Mari that I didn’t realize she was crushing on Adrien.”

There was a moments pause before Nino got knocked off his chair by the combined shrieks of the two girls.

“ _YOU WHAT?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess everyone is learning something. :D
> 
> The next chapter is the fun one.
> 
> Harass me on tumblr: clockworkprinceherondale.tumblr.com


	7. Going Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She quietly closed the door behind her and made her way to the railing to look out along the Paris skyline. She smiled, happy that no matter the year, the view would always be the same. This didn’t feel so foreign to her.

When the sun started to go down Marinette walked Alya and Nino to the door, grateful that they came and helped jumpstart a few minor memories. Mainly all of them involved with various times she was with her three friends and didn’t have any outstanding memories with information, but she would still take anything she could get. 

After a few hours and dinner with her parents, she told them she’d be going to bed.

“Sweetie, are you feeling ok?” Sabine asked holding her daughter to her.

“Maman, I’m fine. It’s just been a long day. Especially with the random memories and just getting back from the hospital,” Marinette smiled and hugged her mother back for a few moments before disengaging herself to give her father a hug and kiss goodnight. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. Love you.” She waved goodbye and went up the stairs to her bedroom. 

Marinette changed for bed and threw her hair up into a bun to wash her face and brush her teeth. Once finished she laid in bed and looked up at the ceiling. Suddenly Tiki was floating in front of her face.

“Yes?” Marinette asked, raising her eyebrows.

“What are you thinking?”

Marinette paused a moment, biting her lower lip as her eyes flicked to the door leading to her ceiling patio and back to Tiki. “I was thinking of going to my ceiling patio.”

“Then let’s go.”

A smile as wide as Paris appeared on Marinette’s face as she quickly sat up and made her way up the ladder. She pushed the door open and was met with a light warm breeze, causing goosebumps to rise on her exposed arms. She quietly closed the door behind her and made her way to the railing to look out along the Paris skyline. She smiled, happy that no matter the year, the view would always be the same. This didn’t feel so foreign to her.

Right when her thoughts started to drift to Chat and when she thought she would see him again, there was a loud _thump_ behind her, startling her and she spun around grabbing a potted plant next to her ready to hit the intruder over the head with it.

She froze when she recognized the black-clad boy, suspended in the air and hugging his staff. His tail curled around the bottom part of the staff and his ears were flat against his head and eyes wide in shock. 

“Uh,” Chat vocalized. “Hi?”

“Oh,” Marinette looked at the potted plant she was holding over her head and smiled, nervously laughing and quickly setting it down on the table she grabbed it from. “You startled me. Sorry.”

Chat stepped down on her ceiling and put his staff away. “No need to apologize. I’m sorry to startle you. I wasn’t even sure if you were going to be awake.”

“Did you come by just to see me?”

“I was out on patrol and thought I’d pass by to see if you were awake and if so, out. Apparently, I was right.”

Marinette cocked her head to the side. “Patrol?”

“We worked out a schedule about a year into our superhero-ing. Tonight is normally your night but-“ He let his sentence trail off.

“You’ve been going out every night for the past four nights?” Marinette asked, startled.

Chat laughed. “Marinette, you’ve been in the hospital. Of course I took up your nights. That’s what partners do.”

“Oh,” Marinette said quietly, looking down. She was moved by how much Chat cared about the city and was giving up his nights off to keep the city safe. An idea popped into her head and she snapped it up. “Will you humor me for right now?”

“I feel like I’m going to regret this but you just got out of the hospital, so sure,” Chat crossed his arms, waiting.

“Will you take me on patrol?”

“Absolutely not.” Chat didn’t even wait a beat to think.

Marinette’s jaw dropped. “Chat!”

“How many times have we been over this? You _just_ got out of the hospital-“

“We’ve been over the fact that I just got out of the hospital exactly once. And I’ve been cleared for everything. C’mon. I’ve been having random memories pop up all day. Maybe this will help some,” She pleaded, still being met with a rock-solid Chat. He raised his eyebrow at her case. “Fine. We play hardball. Either you take me on patrol, or I’ll go on my own.”

She met Chat’s narrowed eyes with a smirk. She could tell he was weighing the pros and cons. After a short faceoff, Chat closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger and Marinette knew she won. “Fine. At least I can keep an eye on you.”

Marinette wrapped her arms around Chat, suddenly very aware of how tall he is. She quickly backed away and called for Tiki to transform her.

“ _Spots on!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even in the middle of all of my work events, you get a fic update.
> 
> I must love you all a lot.
> 
> Harass me on Tumblr: clockworkprinceherondale.tumblr.com


End file.
